Lets have a conversation about Thermal Pads, the eventual replacement to thermal paste
Thermal paste is the most innovative solvent in computer technology. Its primary purpose is to fill tiny gaps between your CPU lid and the heat sink ( or cold plate), keeping the processor from overheating. With thermal paste, you have to apply the right amount on the CPU; too much can severely damage the motherboard, too little the CPU will never achieve a stable temperature range. Intel and AMD have already solved the problem with stock coolers by having the right amount of pre-applied thermal paste. Thermal Pads Graphite Pads will solve the issue of having to worry about paste placement or mess.
Innovation Cooling is the company that produced the Graphite Thermal Pads. The IC graphite pads are supposedly rated better than most thermal paste on the market at 35 W/m-K. The thermal pad can protect the processor up to 62.5 W/m-K; during tests under average computing operations, the temperature slightly varied compared to the Thermal pad and PK-1 thermal paste.
The difference between the two thermal solutions is how easy it is to install a thermal pad, and it is reusable, a deal-breaker. You'll undoubtedly have to contend with paste spillage upon application. The most significant advantage of using thermal pads is you don't have to reapply paste when you need to detach the heat sink from the processor.
I will try to gain access to graphite thermals pads. If I do, I will follow up with an update.
